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W. W. SMITH. oHGANxZED THRUST BEARING A ND REDUCUN BEARING. UG, 29H1.

APPLICATION FILED ,LSOBJTQ mmh-nu...

Tun strauss ressentirW orten.

WILLIAM W. SMITH, or PITTSBURGH, remesa-Lirama., AssIenoaTo wnsTIneuoUsn ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING columna, a CORPORATION or rnNnsrLvanIA.

\ OBGANIZED runner-enemies AND nnnucrronenamne, I

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentamt time M), T919.,

Application tiled August 3, 1.915. i Serial No. 43,409.

To all whom't may concern: l

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Aliegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made ta new and useful Invention in vOrganized Thrust- Bearing and Reduction-Gearing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to marine propulsion, and particularly to marine turbine in stallations in which reduction gearing are employed between the turbine or turbines and the ships propellers.

In marine installations, in which turbines are employed, it is the usual practice to employ reduction gearing between the turbines and thepropellers, since turbines usually rotate at speeds higher than are desirable-for propellers. In installations of this type; that is, inwhich the propeller. of the ship and the tgrbine spindle are not continuous,

" or are not directly coupled together, itis necessary to provide thrust blocks or bearings for absorbing or counterbalancihg the axial longitudinal thrust of the propeller. Such thrust blocks or bearings arelusually arranged as separate units, transmitting the propeller thrust to the'ships hull thrpugh a separate seating. This involves a considerable waste of `space, and also'increas'es the y weight and cost ofthe installation.

An object of the present invention is toprovide an improved construction which avoids the above noted disadvantages.

This and other objects kare attained by means of apparatus' embodying the features herein describedl and illustrated in the drawings accompanying amd forming a fpart hereof.l

In the drawings, Figure l is a more or less diagrammatic view of a reductiongearing directly coupled to a propeller shaft and provided with a thrust bearing which is mounted on or forms a part of the gear casing or frame.

Fig 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, illustrating a modification of my invention; and Fig. 3 is a corresponding viewin which a further modification of the invention is illustrated.

The Vinvention consists in combining, in a geared marineturbineinstallation, a gear ,w heel casing or' frame and a thrust block orA 4 is shown as provided with two sets of op oit is customary to provide the intermesling gears with vtwo sets of teeth which are op"p0- sitely inclined, so that the axial component of the tooth pressure of one set is'counter-- balanced by that of the other set.

In Fig. l, I have illustrated the main 'or driven gear of such a reduction gearing.' `It sitely inclined' helical teeth 5 'and 6 which are mounted on a drum 7. The drum is provided with a shaft or spindle 8, which is journaled in bearin 9, located on opposite sides of the drum 4The bearings are in turn mounted on a frame or casing 10, which is adapted' to be secured to theships hull and whichmay be so formed that it incluses the main gear/and also the driving gear or pinion meshing with it. By providing a single frame lO, in which both 'the bearings 9 are mounted, the operation of installing the gear is materially simplified and diihculties in bearing alinement` are avoided, since the entire gearing is installed by a single setting, and is mounted on a single seating.

`its shown in Fig. 1, thrust blocks or bearings 11 and 12 are formed integrally with the frame 10 or bearing supporting member of the reduction gearing. One of the blocks is employed for the purpose `of counterbalancing or absorbing the axial or longitudinal thrust of the propeller when the ship isbeingdriven ahead, and the other is provided 100 so that the lon,` ;itudinal thrust of the pro 105 peller is transmitted to the shaft 8.

In the drawings, the `drum 7 of the main or driven gear is dia-grammatically illus- -trated as vforming one element of both the thrust bearings 1l and 1'2, and is provided 110 are located between 'the separate sets ofv mounted on t With shoulders or end faces which cooperate with the respective blocks. With such a construction, the propeller thrust is counter- "balan'ced within the reduction gearing itself while the vessel is being propelled ahead or astern, and the necessity of providing a separate thrust block which is secured to the ships hull 'by separate seating is overcome.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a construction in which the thrust blocks are located between the separate sets of teeth 5 and 6', both of which are operatively secured to a shaft or spindle 8', mounted in bearings supported by' a single bearing support or frame 10. Thrust blocks or bearings l1 and 12 with a plurality of disks 16, rigidly mounted on the bearing supporting' frame 10",' the counterbalanced Ay the thrust bearings, while the ship is being driven ahead or` construction 'bein such that the thrust is rioni ai@ above, a wai be apparent that" my invention contemplates the production of an organized. apparatus including a thrust bearingand a reduction geariilgand that 4any type of thrust may be employed, which transmits the'thrust imparted to it to the bearing-supporting frame of the goa-ring.

It will 'be apparent to those skilled in the art; that various' changes, modiications, substitutions, additions and omissions may be` made the apparatus lillustrated Without. departing from the spirit and scope of the4 invention as set` forth 'by the appended claims. l

What I clainr is:

1. In combination with 'a casing and bearing support of a reduction gearing, a thrust bearing mounted 'on the bearing support and forming a substantially integral unit with the casing and bearing support.

2. In combination in a geared marine turbine installation, a driven gear of a reduction e shaft 8, and coperating f gearing, a casing inclosing the gea-rs, a. bearing support for' the bearings of said gear forming a part of said casing, a propeller shaft directly coupled to the shaft of the gearing, and a thrust bearing for the shaft of the gear, mounted on the bearing support.

8. In combination in a geared marine turbine installation, a driven gear of a reduction gearing, havingr its gear teeth formed in two sets, a propeller shaft directly coupled to the shaft of the gear, a bearing support for the bearings of the gear., and thrust blocks mounted on the bearing support, one being located on one side-of-one set of gear v teeth, and the other being located on the opposite side of the other set of gear teeth.

. a. In combination in a geared marine turbine installation, a driven gear of a reductio'ngearing, a shaft on which the gear is mounted, a casing inclosing the gearing,

,bearings for said sha-ft, a bearing support for said bearings forming a part of the gear casing, a propeller shaft,`a coupling for directly connecting said "propeller shaft With the gear shaft,and thrust blocks mounted on the bearing support, and cooperating With said gear.

" 5. In a geared marine installation, a driven ar .I of a reduction gearing, a combined 'earing supporting frame and casing for isaidgear,y a propellerl shaft directly connected to said gear and,y a thrust block integrallyvforined on the bearing support.

6. Incombination in a geared marine turbine installation, a reduction gearing includ- Iing a casing, bearings in said casing, a shaft journaled in ysaid bearings, a drivengear mounted on said sha't and 'comprising` a drum havingtwo. sets of oppositely inclined peripherally located helical lteeth, and -an ahead and reversing thrust'block mounted on said casing for transmitting to the casing axial thrusts imparted to said4 shaft.

7'; Incom'bination inia geared marine turbine installation, a reduction gearing including a casing, bearings in said casing, a shaft ournaled in saidv bearings, a driven gear mounted on-fsaidgsh'aft and comprising a drum having two sets of'oppositely inclined peripherally located gear teeth spaced apart axially of saidlsliaft, and an ahead and reversing thrust block mounted on said casing for transmitting to the casing axial thrusts imparted to said shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 31st day of July,

'WILLIAM W. sMiTH 

